Gods Across Time
by Rerum
Summary: The gods always said that mortals cannot be allowed to manipulate time. When Trunks makes his first trip back in time, it does not go unnoticed by the gods, and the god of destruction Beerus awakens 14 years earlier than he was meant to. How will the Z warriors cope with the consequences of time travel, and the inclusion of a new deity in their lives?
1. Chapter 1

"Lord Beerus… wake up, Lord Beerus," a soft voice coaxed the god of destruction awake.

"Why'd you interrupt my nap, Whis?" Beerus answered with an irritated yawn, "it can't have been that long yet, and I was having the most riveting dream!"

"My apologies Lord Beerus, but that will have to wait; there is a situation on planet Earth that demands your attention immediately."

With a heaving sigh, the cat lifted himself from his bed, stretched, and faced his attendant. "Alright Whis, lay it on me."

With a wave of his staff, the angel displayed a video feed before the god, depicting a brutal scene.

A young man, engulfed in flaming golden light and armed with a deadly blade was slashing an adversary to bits. Beerus could barely make out the features of the butchered victim; it appeared to be some kind of cyborg with pale, white skin. Once the young man had blasted away the remains, he confronted his adversary's companion, a tall horned being, whom upon further inspection, Beerus recognized.

"That's… King Cold, isn't it?" Beerus realized, before the young warrior blasted a hole in the despot's chest, "er, was."

"Indeed, Lord Beerus."

"Huh.. wait, so that means that mechanical monstrosity was FRIEZA?" Beerus exclaimed, "What the hell happened to him?"

"Well.." Whis answered, shifting the scene with his staff, "He was defeated by a Saiyan named Son Goku, and almost died."

Sure enough, the scene showed Frieza battling a man on planet Namek with a similar golden aura to the youth's, ultimately losing and getting caught in the planet's explosion.

"Heh, serves him right. I told him to wipe out all those monkeys; if he hadn't done such a half-assed job of it, it wouldn't have come back to bite him," Beerus mused, before noting, "What really baffles me is that golden power Son Goku and this young man share. Any idea what it is, Whis?"

"Son Goku was only able to defeat Frieza after achieving a prophesied state of Saiyan legend: the Super Saiyan," Whis replied, "and it appears this boy holds the same power."

"Super Saiyan…" Beerus mused, "why does that sound so familiar… Super Saiyan…"

"God!" he exclaimed, snapping into realization, "I was dreaming about fighting a Super Saiyan god!"

Whis pursed his lips, "I don't believe I've ever heard of such a thing."

"Well then, we'll just have to ask these Super Saiyans ourselves, won't we?" Beerus decided, "good find Whis, though, how did you know to wake me for this? You didn't see my dreams did you?"

"Of course not, Lord Beerus. You see, this young man who just slayed Frieza and Cold is quite the anomaly," Whis responded, "there appears to be no record of him in history; for a Super Saiyan to have just come out of nowhere, only a year after the first one in a millennium no less… it's quite suspicious."

With a grave expression, Whis continued, "what's more, I detected a temporal distortion on Earth shortly before he showed up."

Beerus gaped in confusion and anger, "But that would mean—"

"He could very well be from the future, my lord." Whis finished.

"Well, if this mysterious youth really has broken the laws of nature, then he will pay dearly for it."

* * *

"Do you feel that presence, master?" Kibito, the attendant to the Supreme Kai, questioned worriedly.

"I do, Kibito; it feels ancient and powerful even by my standards," answered Shin, the aforementioned deity, "and it inches closer by the second. Stay vigilant."

With a blinding flash of light, two figures emerged on the Sacred World of the Kais.

Shin eyed the strangers suspiciously, before noticing the strangers' appearances. His calm demeanor noticeably faltered as he realized just who they were, but he quickly regained it.

"You're the god of destruction, aren't you?" he addressed.

"That's me," Beerus gave a smug, fanged grin, "so you better tell me what I need to know. Where is the standing Supreme Kai?"

Shin blinked in surprise, "I'm ah, right here."

Beerus's eyes widened before he doubled over in laughter.

"THIS LITTLE PIPSQUEAK? IS THE NEW SUPREME KAI? OH THAT'S RICH WHIS; YOU TOLD ME HE WAS GREEN, BUT THIS IS JUST RIDICULOUS!"

Kibito growled in anger, and was about to protest that this was no way to speak to the Supreme Kai, but was silenced by his master.

"Now now Lord Beerus, you shouldn't be so quick to judge," Whis chided, "especially when we're here on very pressing matters."

At this, Beerus ceased his laughter and cleared his throat.

"Right. I'm sure you've sensed the disturbance on Earth by now?"

Shin's eyes widened in horror.

"Earth?!"

"Obviously, you haven't," Beerus sighed, having half a mind to chew the young Kai out for his ineptitude, but decided against it before motioning to Whis.

With a tap of his staff, Whis showed Shin and Kibito the recent developments on Earth, and explained the situation.

"And so, we've come to see if our suspicions about this young man are true," the angel finished.

Nodding, Beerus asked, "and you have kept the time rings safe, I hope?"

"Of course," Shin responded, a bit weary of the god of destruction's attitude, "follow me."

The four then made their way through the planet, the Supreme Kai in the lead, until they reached where the time rings were being kept. Shin brought out a black chest and opened it for all to see. Inside the chest, upon a dark red cushion, sat two rings, one silver… and one green.

"All I needed to see."

Beerus eyed the green ring angrily, and with a growl, turned to walk away.

"Come on Whis!" he barked, "let's get this over with so I can go back to sleep."

As the pair began to leave, Shin quickly followed suit, panicking.

"Wait, Lord Beerus! What are you going to do?" he demanded.

"Isn't it obvious?" the god of destruction responded, "this arrogant child is messing with things that no mortal has any place in. I'm going to destroy him, and the Earth along with it."

"No!" the now panicked Supreme Kai pleaded, "you musn't destroy that planet!"

Furrowing his brow in irritation, Beerus admonished the young Kai's pleas.

"Shin, Earth has become the nexus for a completely volatile temporal distortion," Beerus explained, "even when Kais like yourself travel through time, they are meant only to observe. But this boy has meddled with the affairs of Earth; for goodness sake, he slayed a galactic emperor, and now he's interacting with the Earthlings! The planet has become a temporal anomaly; there's no telling what ramifications this could have. It must be erased!"

"Lord Beerus, I'm begging you!" Shin continued while falling to his knees before Beerus, "I promise I will take full responsibility for whatever the consequences are, just please… spare the Earth."

After a moment of deliberation and a heaving sigh, Beerus looked to Whis, who merely shrugged in response.

"Fine," Beerus relented, "I'll do this one favor for you; the Earth will be spared, but the boy still goes."

Shin nodded, and was about to thank him, before the cat grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground, to the horror of the onlooking Kibito.

"Let's make one thing clear," the god of destruction said with a deadly stare, "if this little stunt results in so much as a teensy dip in our universe's mortal level, I will have your head. You understand?"

"I-I understand, Lord Beerus."

"Good," Beerus said before dropping the Supreme Kai and resuming his walk away

"Th-thank you very much for your generosity, Lord Beerus!" Shin exclaimed meekly.

Beerus turned his head towards the Kai, with a sly grin on his face.

"But of course my young friend. No need to thank me, I'm just trying to show some love to the new guy! Let's work together nicely from now on."

As Whis's staff glowed with light and the pair began to leave, the angel let out a small chuckle while regarding Beerus.

"You know Lord Beerus, threatening the life of someone who your own life is tied to might come across as a little hollow."

"Shhh, Whis! Not so loud… he doesn't know that yet."

With that, the two deities were finally off of the Sacred World of the Kais.

"Did… Did you hear that Kibito?" the shaken Shin asked his attendant.

"I… most certainly did, master."

The two kais looked at each other in confusion and disbelief at what had just transpired. After they brushed off their shock, Kibito asked the question which was on both of their minds.

"That ah, last bit of information withstanding, do you really think it's the right move to risk so much, even to prevent the release of Majin Buu?"

"I hope so, Kibito."

* * *

It had been quite an eventful day for Son Goku.

The Saiyan warrior was so close to finally getting home to Earth after a year on planet Yardrat honing his skills and reigning in his newly found Super Saiyan power. But things quickly went wrong as he sensed that Frieza was not only alive, but heading to Earth… with a three hour head start on him! He was going to make his move and use the Yardats' instant transmission technique to get to Earth once the fighting started, but was surprised when he found that another power appeared out of nowhere and took care of Frieza for him.

As it turned out, the mysterious warrior was a Super Saiyan from the future, and if that wasn't strange enough, he was also the son of Vegeta and Bulma! So weird. The kid, Trunks as he had called himself, had brought with him some dire news. In the near future, Goku was supposed to die to a heart virus, before a pair of killer androids show up and kill all his friends. Luckily, Trunks had come bearing gifts, as he now had medicine for the virus, and three years to train for the threat. So yeah. Quite the eventful day.

And now, he had to figure out what to tell all his friends.

As Goku made his way back to them his talk with Trunks, he realized he had absolutely no clue what he was going to tell them. I mean, what good way is there to drop such a bomb on your friends after seeing them in so long?

"Hey Dad, what did that guy want with you?" asked Gohan upon greeting his father.

"Oh uh, you know…" Goku stammered, "nothing really!"

"You really expect us to believe you spent all that time talking about nothing?" Bulma questioned suspiciously.

Goku just flashed his signature grin as he laughed while scratching the back of his head.

"Well, if you won't tell them, then I will," said Piccolo flatly.

"You heard all that?!" Goku exclaimed with a gasp.

"These ears do more than just look big you know."

"Please Piccolo," Goku panicked, "you can't tell-"

"Don't worry, I won't say anything that will endanger your friend," Piccolo assured, "But the rest of us all deserve a chance to change our destiny, not just you. That boy was from the future, and came with a dire warning."

Piccolo proceeded to explain the impending threat of the androids. The Z warriors listened in shock and disbelief before redoubling their resolve; they were determined to train and fight to save their future.

As they thought ahead to the three years of intense training which lay ahead of them, the group noticed a shining light in the sky.

"Hey look!" Yamcha exclaimed, "There he is!"

Sure enough, upon further inspection, the Z warriors could make out their new lavender haired friend in some sort of yellow flight vessel—presumably his time machine. The mysterious youth waved kindly to his new allies.

However, the farewell was cut short by a swift ki blast piercing the hull of the time machine.

The yellow machine began to fall until it crashed to the ground, with Trunks just barely able to escape the wreckage. Everyone looked around and expanded their senses, but they could not feel any presence which could have assaulted the young man. That is, until a purple figure appeared before him, clutching him by his throat.

"We have to help him!" the young Gohan exclaimed, and with everyone else nodding in agreement, the Z warriors took off towards the scene. As the group flew over at top speed, Goku couldn't help but feel uneasy about this new foe. They were manhandling Trunks with no effort, but he couldn't even sense any power from them! Something was definitely fishy.

* * *

Trunks knew that there were risks to time travel. He knew that things could end up going very, very wrong. But when he hopped into that time machine this morning, he did not expect that he'd end up suspended in the air, at the mercy of an anthropomorphic purple cat, who was presently choking him out while a strangely dressed blue man with a staff watched the whole thing idly. Out of the infinite number of mishaps that could incur with his mission, this was not one he saw coming.

"So, mortal," the purple cat demanded, "what gave you the arrogance to believe that you could so vilely violate the laws of nature, and face no consequence for it?"

Trunks gasped for air, making no sound more than a choke.

"Hmph, well, no matter," the cat said, "it's not like anything you say is going to save you now."

"HEY! LET HIM GO!"

At the sound of Goku's voice, Trunks turned to see that the Z warriors had come to his aid.

"Ah, it's you Son Goku," the purple being said cooly, "a pleasure to meet you. I was impressed to learn that you defeated Frieza, but it seems you needed this meddling brat to finish the job."

"I said. LET HIM GO!" Goku repeated, ignoring the remark.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," the cat sighed, "you see, this young man has already caused irreparable damage to this timeline, by killing Frieza. I must destroy him before he can cause any more harm."

"Harm?!" exclaimed an angered Krillin, "This kid's only trying to save our lives!"

"It matters not what his intentions are; there are larger things at risk here than your mortal minds could even begin to fathom!"

"And who are you to pass such weighty judgments yourself?" growled Piccolo.

"B-Beerus the destroyer!" stammered a shell shocked Vegeta.

Everyone's eyes fell on the Saiyan prince, frozen still, face pale with horror.

"You know this guy, Vegeta?" Goku asked.

Vegeta simply stayed motionless, reliving the trauma of his first meeting with the god of destruction.

_"You tried to trick me. Did you really think I wouldn't notice that you gave me the second most comfortable cushion in the universe?!" Beerus exclaimed as he crushed the Saiyan king's head beneath his heel._

_Watching from afar, the young prince Vegeta growled in rage before making his presence known._

_"THAT'S THE KING OF ALL SAIYANS!" the young boy yelled animalistically as he charged the god of destruction. He did not get very far however; one look into the god's eyes and he was on his knees. That stare would haunt him for the rest of his days._

The very same stare pierced the prince's soul right now, rendering him completely unable to even speak. He was too weak back then, and he was too weak now; Vegeta was completely helpless in front of a god who could incapacitate even a Super Saiyan with ease.

"Well if it isn't the little prince Vegeta," Beerus mused with a touch of amusement, "how great it is to see you again."

"To answer your question Son Goku, yes; Vegeta here showed me quite the temper when I reprimanded his father for insubordination, way back when Planet Vegeta was still around."

"And to answer your question, Namekian, the prince is correct; I am Lord Beerus, this universe's god of destruction."

"And I'm Lord Beerus's angel attendant, Whis!" chirped his companion, though no one had asked.

The revelation of the deity's identity took a moment to settle over the shocked Z warriors. First Frieza, then time travel and Androids, now gods… today was just getting weirder and weirder.

"I don't care who you are, or what you think!" Goku said finally, "That boy is innocent."

In a flame of golden light, Goku ignited his Super Saiyan form.

"And I won't let you take an innocent life."

Goku charged towards Beerus, who casually tossed Trunks away; he could deal with the brat as his leasure. He had to admit, he was somewhat intrigued at seeing what Son Goku had to offer.

Of course, it turned out to be quite little. Beerus effortlessly evaded every blow the Super Saiyan struck at him. After his barrage of melee attacks proved fruitless, Goku remained unfettered, but opted to change up his strategy.

Drifting slightly away from the god of destruction, he took a stance and cupped his hands at his side.

"KA… ME… HA… ME..." the Super Saiyan began to charge all of his energy into a single attack.

The Z warriors watched in amazement as they could feel the absurd amount of energy emanating from their hero. But would it be enough?

"Come on guys, we have to help Dad!" Gohan shouted to his comrades, "MASENKO…" the boy began charging his own.

The rest followed suit; Piccolo removed his weighted clothing and charged a Masenko with his student, Krillin and Yamcha charged Kamehameha waves of their own, while Tien readied his Tri-Beam and Chiaotzu his Dodon Ray.

"The fools… they could never hope to even touch the god of destruction… they don't stand a chance," Vegeta thought to himself, electing not to engage with Beerus out of fear.

Beerus himself seemed completely unphased by the display of power and unity shone by the Z warriors, letting out a soft yawn.

"HA!" everyone screamed at once, pouring all their power and determination into their attacks.

As the blasts hurtled towards the god of destruction, they coalesced into one larger beam, shining a blinding white. Beerus held his position, not the least bit worried about the blast, which appeared to be about to overtake him.

But before it could, the massive attack was sent hurtling up into the upper atmosphere by a casual flick from the god of destruction.

The Z warriors panted from the strain of the attack and watched in horror as the blast detonated harmlessly at the edge of the sky.

Beerus sighed.

"Tch. And here I was thinking you might be the one to finally give me a challenge, Son Goku."

With that, the god of destruction let out another small flick, and Goku immediately felt a sharp pain in his forehead before falling out of his Super Saiyan form and to the ground.

"DADDY!" Gohan rushed to his father's aid, before turning an angry glare at Lord Beerus.

"Relax, child. He's not dead," Beerus assured "only knocked out."

"H-he took Goku out without even touching him," Yamcha stammered in complete horror.

"Now! Are you going to let me do my job?" Beerus demanded, forming a ball of deadly purple energy in his hand, "or should I take you, and your planet out with him?!"

The Z warriors still standing braced themselves for the god's attack. However, before it could come, a shrill voice cut the tension like a knife.

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, KITTY CAT!"

All heads turned to see a steadfast women, clad in a red dress and orange vest, and rocking a curly mane of lavender locks. Previously left behind by the others, she had finally made her way to the battlefield.

Bulma had arrived.


	2. Chapter 2

When Trunks stirred, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He could see his assailant—Beerus, as he had picked up from his exchange with the Z warriors—being stared down by… his mother? After all that trouble he went through just to keep his identity a secret so he could be born in this timeline, it would never come to be… not because his parents wouldn't get together, but because his mother was going to die to this "kitty cat." Great.

"Wretched woman, do you have any idea who I _am_?" Beerus demanded, "I am THE GOD OF DESTRUCTION!"

"Oh blah, blah, blah, you think I care? I've heard it all before!" Bulma mocked, contorting her voice, "I'm the big scary DEMON KING Piccolo, your world will fall beneath me,' or, 'I'm the Prince of ALL TWO AND A HALF saiyans, you could never hope to surpass an elite like ME,' it's always the same bravado with you creeps!"

Piccolo and Vegeta scoffed at her imitations.

"I am nothing like them, you fool!" Beerus retorted, "They are mere mortals! I am a GOD!"

"You're missing the point, fur-face!" Bulma continued, "Every time we face someone who thinks they're better than everyone else, you know what happens? They're proven W-R-O-N-G wrong! I mean hell, that cutie over there just offed two of the universe's most notorious tyrants like it was nothing—and he comes from a future where he's hunted every day by beings who far outclass him!"

"I don't have don't have to listen to this nonsense," Beerus growled, aiming a ki blast at the lavender haired woman.

"Of course; why would you?" Bulma responded, "You don't have the humility to even fathom the idea of lending an ear to a mortal! You're really going to let your ego get in the way of listening to reason! This boy came back in time to save literally _billions_ of lives, and you're going to write that all off because he 'broke the rules'? I thought the gods were supposed to support life, but I guess your title rings true; all _you _care about is destruction."

"She does bring up a rather interesting point Lord Beerus," Whis chimed in, "Letting the majority of this planet die would lower our universe's mortal level a bit."

"Just who's side are you on Whis?" Beerus demanded.

Whis simply shrugged while Bulma flashed a smug grin.

Beerus sighed.

"You've got spunk, mortal," the god of destruction admitted, before extinguishing the blast in his hand and turning to his attendant.

"Whis, would you patch that Son Goku up for me real quick?" he asked.

With a wave of Whis' staff, Goku's body lifted into the air as he returned to consciousness.

"Wh-wha happened?" the disoriented saiyan asked, before catching sight of Beerus.

"You!" he yelled, before falling into a fighting stance.

"Calm down, I'm not hurting anyone," Beerus said, "_yet._"

Turning to regard Trunks, who had just gotten to his feet, Beerus continued, "I'm willing to let you off the hook just this once, boy, on one condition."

The Z warriors held their breaths in suspense.

"Bring me a Super Saiyan God," Beerus said with a toothy grin.

* * *

"Super Saiyan… God?" Goku repeated in confusion, "Tr-ah, the kid and I are Super Saiyans, but I don't know about any Super Saiyan God. How about you, uh, friend? Know any Super Saiyan Gods in the future?"

"No.. can't say that I do," Trunks responded, equally as baffled.

"Vegeta?" Goku asked, but the prince simply shook his head.

"If you don't mind me asking Mr. God of Destruction, uh, sir," Krillin stuttered, "what exactly _is_ a Super Saiyan God?"

"No idea myself actually," Beerus replied nonchalantly.

"WHAT?!" everyone exclaimed.

"I had a dream where I fought something called a Super Saiyan God," Beerus explained, his excitement growing, "it was glorious—finally, someone who could give me a challenge!; you see, as a god of my calibur, a chance to actually stretch my legs is hard to come by."

"A dream?!" Bulma yelled, "all we have to go on is a _dream_? How do we know this Super Saiyan God is even _real_?"

"Look, it's either give me what I want or face oblivion," Beerus said matter of factly.

The group sombered, straining themselves to think of a way, any way out of this, before Bulma spoke up again.

"I know!" she said with an excited smile, "Why don't we gather the Dragon Balls and ask Shenron?"

"Again with the Dragon Balls, woman?!" complained Vegeta, in reference to her earlier plan to take out Doctor Gero, "They'll take way too much time to find!"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Prince Vegeta," a new voice interjected from behind.

Everyone turned to see an old Namekian, clad in a white tunic and blue cape, walking towards them with the aid of a long, wooden staff.

"Kami!" Goku called out, "What're you doing here?"

The guardian of earth ignored his former pupil, walking up to regard the god of destruction, and kneeling before him.

"It is an honor to meet you Lord Beerus. I am Kami, guardian of the Earth and creator of the Dragon Balls," Kami greeted.

"Another Namekian aye?" Beerus mused, glancing between him and Piccolo, "only this one's all shriveled up. But I suppose as guardian, that makes you an underling of mine… well, way down the food chain, anyways, so good to meet ya too I guess. Now stand."

Ignoring the rude comment, Kami obeyed and got to his feet.

"Is there any way you or your eternal dragon can help me? And in a ah, timely manner?" Beerus asked.

"Yes on both accounts my lord," Kami answered, "While I too know nothing of the Super Saiyan God, Shenron has access to the entirety of the Namekian book of legends. If this being is real, he will tell us."

"Additionally," the guardian continued, while shooting a glance at Vegeta, "I had tasked my attendant, Mr. Popo, with gathering the Dragon Balls as soon as I sensed Frieza approaching the planet, in anticipation for the battle. If we head to my lookout now, he should return with the balls by the time we arrive."

"Very well," Beerus responded approvingly, "Lead the way, guardian of Earth."

Kami rose into the air, with Beerus and Whis, and finally the Z warriors, Bulma in tow, all following suit. The group then flashed their auras and took off towards Kami's lookout.

* * *

"So this your palace, hm?" Beerus asked, clearly unimpressed, as they touched down on the lookout.

Ignoring yet another of the god's comments, Kami walked into the palace to fetch Mr. Popo. Meanwhile, the two Briefs present were in complete awe, as this was their first time ever visiting the lookout.

"The architecture here is amazing," marveled Bulma, who was feeling some shortness of breath, "though the air's pretty thin all the way up here. How does the palace stay floating so high anyways?"

Trunks looked around in amazement. Never had he seen such serenity, such peace.

"Gohan told me about this place a couple times," Trunks noted, "But I never got to see it for myself; the Androids destroyed it when I was young. It's even more beautiful than I could've ever imagined."

At the reminder of the boy's apocalyptic world, the mood fell slightly. Apparently, even such a holy place was lost to the terrors of the future.

Goku placed a hand on the young saiyan hybrid's shoulder.

"Don't worry," he said with an assuring smile, "It won't happen again. We won't let the Androids destroy this world's beauty. I promise, you're going to be able to see it many times."

Trunks gave the older saiyan a grateful smile.

"Well, if you're done being sappy," Beerus called, "it looks like it's time!"

Sure enough, Kami had emerged from the palace, accompanied by Mr. Popo, who held the Dragon Balls in his arms. As they reached the others, Mr. Popo laid them out on the floor of the lookout. They glowed a brilliant orange color.

"Rise, eternal dragon!" chanted Kami.

The sky darkened, and a blinding mass of light erupted from the Dragon Balls, shooting upward and coiling around the lookout, before taking its proper form: the eternal dragon, Shenron. The dragon regarded the group with his intense red eyes.

"WHO HAS AWAKENED MY SLUMBER? SPEAK YOUR WISH AND- AH! Lord Beerus!" Shenron flinched upon noticing the god of destruction, "H-how may I be of service, Lord?"

"Wow, I've never seen Shenron look so nervous!" Bulma noted in a low voice.

"Alright dragon," Beerus said, full of anticipation, "tell us everything you know about the Super Saiyan God!"

"O-of course, Lord Beerus!" Shenron answered dutifully, "During the time of Planet Sadala, the original home of the saiyans, the race had two factions. One was motivated by greed and egotism, evil like most modern saiyans. The other faction was much more kind hearted and selfless, but unfortunately, much smaller in size compared to the evil saiyans. In their struggle against their vile brethren, six righteous saiyans combined their power into one, unknowingly completing the ritual to produce a Super Saiyan God. Their leader, Yamoshi, was the one to hold this power, and decimated the evil saiyans' forces with ease. However, the power left as quickly as it came, and the righteous saiyans were still outnumbered by the remaining evil ones, ultimately falling to them in the end."

"So, in short, if six righteous saiyans all focus their power into one of themselves, that one will become a Super Saiyan God?" Beerus asked.

"Exactly, my Lord," Shenron confirmed.

"Hah, good luck," Piccolo said, "There are only four saiyans left, and I'd hardly count Vegeta as _righteous_."

"Tch," the pink-shirt clad saiyan simply crossed his arms and turned away.

"And after all this effort and generosity," Beerus sighed, readying another ki blast, "what a shame."

"Woah woah there buddy!" Bulma stopped the god, "We haven't given up yet!"

"And just how are you going to perform the ritual without the required number of saiyans?" Beerus demanded, "You're through!"

"But isn't it possible that there could be more saiyans out there, that we don't know about?" Bulma rebutted.

"Woman, all the saiyans who survived the destruction of Planet Vegeta have been accounted for!" Vegeta interjected, "Nappa and Raditz are dead, meaning the only remaining survivors are myself, Kakarot, and…" the Prince trailed off, unwilling to finish his sentence.

"And?!" Bulma demanded, "there's another survivor, isn't there!"

"Bah!" Vegeta spat, "I doubt he's still alive… he was just a weakling exiled for his low power level anyways."

"Who-"

"Who he was doesn't matter! Even if he or any other saiyans are still out there, there's no way we could find them out in the vastness of the universe!"

Bulma facepalmed, hard.

"Are you serious?" she sighed, "There's a perfectly simple way to do it sitting right in front of us. I swear, you boys are so dense."

Bulma walked up to the eternal dragon—who having not been dismissed by Lord Beerus, stayed out of fear of the deity.

"May I, Lord Beerus?" she asked, to which the god of destruction.

"Be my guest."

"Alright!" Bulma cheered, "Shenron! I want you to move any and all saiyans in the universe right here, to Kami's lookout!"

"AS YOU SAY, SO IT SHALL BE!" the dragon answered as his eyes glowed red.

In a blinding flash of light, three figures emerged onto the lookout.

"YOUR WISH HAS BEEN GRANTED!" Shenron proclaimed, before turning to Beerus again, "I must take my leave now Lord Beerus, is this permissible?"

"Yeah, yeah, run along." the god of destruction waved him off, his attention how focused on the new arrivals.

As Shenron bade his farewell, the lights died down and the sky returned to its normal state, and the three new figures could be made out more clearly.

* * *

One was a very short man, maybe the same age as Goku, who wore armor not unlike the outfit Vegeta wore upon his first arrival on Earth, only with a smaller breastplate which was white and brown, and lacking a crotch-guard. The man had spiky, flame like hair with a single bang, and wore a blue scouter over a nervous face. Sure enough, a furry brown tail could be seen dangling from his back.

The other two men appeared to have come as a pair. The shorter of the two, though not nearly as short as the first man, sported a mustache and a much more worn looking set of armor, which looked a bit different than what the Z warriors would usually expect from the Frieza Force—an older model, perhaps? He appeared to be older than any of the other saiyans, though with the species' slow aging, the only indication of this was his grave, weary expression. The taller man who accompanied him was clearly much younger, around the same age as the rest of the saiyans present, and wore even more tattered clothes: ripped blue leggings with white boots and a green fur kilt, with only blue wristbands and a strange necklace on his top. His mostly expressionless face was framed by a long, unkempt mane of hair which extended to his back. Most interestingly, he was the only of the new saiyans to not have a tail.

There was an air of silent tension as everyone stared down the three new saiyans. Were they friend? Foe? Would they, or more accurately, could they help complete the Super Saiyan God ritual? The eldest saiyan was the first to speak up.

"I can't believe this is real," he said, his face beginning to show relief, but also disbelief, "Divine intervention, was it? When that dragon appeared in our minds telling us someone was trying to will us to another planet, I thought I must be hallucinating, but I couldn't refuse the offer all the same… I would do anything to leave that repugnant planet Vampa."

He inched towards the group cautiously.

"Which one of you did this?" he asked.

"I made the wish on the Dragon Balls to bring you all here!" Bulma proclaimed proudly, "so yeah, me!"

The man bowed before the lavender haired woman, "I am in your debt ma'am, thank you."

"Oh no need for formalities," Bulma chuckled, extending a hand, "Just call me Bulma! And you are..?"

"Paragus," the elder saiyan replied, shaking Bulma's hand, "and the one behind me is my son, Broly."

"Nice to meet you both!"

As they made their salutations, the third, still unnamed saiyan scanned the group, before one among them caught his eye.

"Brother!" he exclaimed, as he rushed towards Vegeta. Everyone stared in surprise. As the smaller saiyan reached his now proclaimed brother, Vegeta scoffed and turned away, attempting to ignore him.

"Uh, brother, what are you wearing?" he asked innocently, in reference to Vegeta's Pink earth shirt. Caught off guard by this question, Vegeta flustered and was forced to respond.

"Gah, why are you even here Tarble?!" Vegeta barked, "Didn't Dad send you off to some weak frontier planet because you couldn't fight?"

"Well yes, but the drago-"

"The dragon can't move anyone anywhere they don't want to go, so why did you think you could show your face here?"

"I heard that you had helped to topple Frieza, and that afterwards you traveled to the planet Earth," Tarble admitted, "So when the dragon offered to take me here, I accepted, because I wanted to see you again, brother…"

Vegeta simply rolled his eyes at his brother's display of emotion.

"And I need your help," Tarble added.

Before Vegeta could respond however, a certain purple cat decided to interject.

"Before anything else, you're going to help _me_," Beerus yelled, "and I'm losing my patience!"

All eyes fell on the god of destruction.

"Quick run-down for you new arrivals. My name is Lord Beerus, I am this universe's god of destruction. Cross me, you will be erased from existence. You all have been called here to participate in a ritual to produce a Super Saiyan God for me; failure to comply will result in your demise. Don't believe me, ask those two _Super Saiyans _over there," he finished, pointing to Goku and Trunks.

The three saiyans blinked in confusion and disbelief.

"Just go along with it, please," Trunks sighed, "everything he just said is true, I promise."

"Okay…" Tarble responded, "So, what's this ritual?"

"Well, according to legend, when six righteous saiyans all pour their power into one, a Super Saiyan God will be born! But we only had four saiyans here" Goku explained, motioning to himself, Vegeta, Trunks, and Gohan, "And well…"

"That pig-headed grouch is nowhere near righteous!" Bulma finished, pointing to Vegeta, who merely growled in response.

"From what I can tell, you all seem pretty friendly," Goku smiled, "and we better not keep Lord Beerus waiting, so let's get to it!"

With that, all the saiyans sans Vegeta gathered in a circle at the center of the lookout.

"So," Piccolo asked, "who's going to take the plunge into godhood?"

"Obviously my dad!" Gohan responded without a second thought, "He's the greatest!"

Piccolo cocked a brow at Trunks.

"Though we're pretty close in strength, I'd imagine Goku is a lot more skilled than I, so he's probably our best bet," the time traveler admitted, matter-of-factly. Goku simply grinned and shrugged.

The six saiyans then joined hands and released their energy. As Trunks and Goku turned Super Saiyan, a golden aura enveloped the group. Their ki rose and rose, and once it had peaked, the other five channeled theirs into Goku. Goku could feel his body coursing with everyone's ki… It was almost too much to bear. His body glowed a brilliant gold, brighter than ever before, as he struggled to contain all the energy he was amassing.

But that was it.

This boost had made him stronger than he had ever been, no doubt about that—but there was nothing else—no change, nothing. Just more energy, and in the face of Lord Beerus, would it even make a difference?

"Stop, stop!" Beerus clamored, and the saiyans calmed their powers down to resting levels.

"I think it's pretty clear that this _isn't_ working," Beerus stated, "which means either the legend was just that," he scowled as he inched around the circle, "or one of you isn't as _nice _as we thought."

* * *

Beerus circled the group, who all tensed in response. One by one, he attempted to read and assess their feelings, their intentions.

"These two are clearly pure of heart," Beerus stated, walking past Goku and peering down at his son, Gohan.

"You just came here to get big brother's approval, and help to save your home," Beerus said as he regarded Tarble, "a fool's errand, perhaps, but a noble one I suppose."

"A pest who doesn't know what he's doing," Beerus nodded to himself when he got to Trunks, "but demonstrably not malicious by any means."

Finally, Beerus eyed Broly and Paragus.

"I can barely sense anything from this one," the cat said in reference to Broly, "I wonder if there's even anything up in that head of yours."

Broly stayed silent, unresponsive to the god.

"And you…" Beerus' eyes narrowed at the tense Paragus, "Your display of gratitude to Bulma earlier certainly was genuine; you would have given anything to get off that planet, Vampa. I don't blame you—I'm surprised you or anything else could even survive there for so long, I always thought it was a revolting planet I should destroy some day."

"I wouldn't mind that at all, my Lord," Paragus agreed, noticeably relaxing the god of destruction's ramblings.

"I'm sure," Beerus smiled in response, while studying the saiyan carefully.

"Tell me, Paragus. How _did _you escape the destruction of Planet Vegeta and end up on Vampa?"

The eldest saiyan tensed back up again, a drop of sweat rolling down his face.

"A-ah, well you see, Lord Beerus," Paragus stammered, "My son had been sent there for his first mission, and worrying for his safety on such a vile world, I hijacked a saiyan ship and followed him there. Unfortunately, in my haste, I damaged the ship upon landing on the planet, and we were marooned there until today."

"Hmm, quite an interesting story," Beerus commented, "but a god of destruction does not tolerate lies."

"M-my Lord?"

Beerus charged a beam on the tip of his finger

"Aside from the fact that a god can easily read when a mortal is lying, why would the Frieza Force send a child on a mission to conquer an uninhabitable world?" Beerus asked, his voice growing dark, "Now, saiyan. I'm going to ask you one more time… why were you on Vampa?"

Contorting his face in fear, Paragus finally yielded.

"You are correct, my Lord. I followed Broly not because he was sent on a dangerous mission… but because he was exiled to Vampa."

Beerus extinguished the energy beam at his finger tip and raised an eyebrow, beckoning the saiyan to elaborate.

"You see, my son was born with an abnormally high power level, especially for a saiyan born of our rank," Paragus explained, "his power even surpassed that of the young Prince Vegeta."

Vegeta, present and listening, scoffed, eyeing Broly in disbelief. Ignoring the prince's clear distaste, Paragus continued.

"When the king caught wind of this, he grew jealous. Rather than see the potential in Broly, and all he could do for our people, King Vegeta's ego blinded him. Too prideful to let a child of a lower class more powerful than his own exist, he decided to send Broly away to a planet so repulsive that no one could survive it—or so he thought."

Beerus's eyes bore into the saiyan's soul as he recounted his story. He could sense all the mortal's feelings practically oozing out of him.

"And since then, you've dedicated yourself revenge against the saiyan royal family," Beerus stated, much to the surprise to Paragus.

"I can sense it inside you," Beerus explained, "your rage. It consumes you."

"I wonder how that's made you treat your son," Beerus continued, boring deeper into the heart of the saiyan, "did you raise him with care, or even respect? Or did you mold him into a weapon, an agent of your Vengeance?"

Paragus was about to protest that this god knew nothing of him and his life, his pain. But before he could even make a sound, another voice cut through.

"Stop it." Broly growled, his voice terrifyingly low.

"It's not right for you to say things like that. He is my father."

Beerus eyed the young man with a curious amusement, before relenting.

"Fine, I'll stop badmouthing your _poor father_," Beerus promised, "but in any case, I think we've found our little problem here. As long as that rage fills his heart, you lot will never produce a Super Saiyan God."

"So, what do you say, Paragus?" the god of destruction asked, "can you find it in your little heart to forgive?"

Paragus clenched his fist before facing Beerus, looking more calm and earnest than he had since arriving.

"No," he said in a small voice.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that," Beerus said.

"I said NO!" Paragus exclaimed, "I COULD NEVER FORGIVE THEM!"

"Are you disobeying a direct order from the GOD OF DESTRUCTION?" Beerus demanded, his anger growing.

"Uh, Lord Beerus," Goku butt in, "I don't think you can just tell someone how to feel and they'll feel that way. I mean, you could but, even if they pretended to do it just to obey you… it wouldn't really count?" The saiyan scratched his head, confusing himself as he tried in vain to pacify the god.

"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS YOU BUFFOON!"

Onlooking, Bulma rubbed her temple in frustration. "Of course the god has no concept of how emotions work," she said to herself.

"I've spent this _whole day_ giving you lot chance after chance," Beerus seethed with venom, "and you monkeys fail to deliver—over some petty squabble?! Well no more!"

The god of destruction floated up above the lookout, again forming a purple ball of ki at his hand, and aiming it towards the surface of the Earth, to everyone's horror.

"You've wasted enough of my time; I'm going to give you all, and your planet a taste of oblivion!"

"Lord Beerus, you know that _would_ break your promise to the Supreme Kai," Whis called up to him.

"And what's he gonna do to stop me?" Beerus sneered, "TO HELL WITH THAT IDIOT, AND ALL OF YOU!"

The god was about to launch his attack, but as if on cue, two figures appeared right in front of it, seemingly out of nowhere. One was a tall, red man with long white locks, while the other holding onto him was a small, purple man with a white mohawk. Both wore the clothing of elite Kai.

"And are you ready to go there with us, Lord Beerus?" the smaller man asked defiantly.

"Shin," Beerus seethed, extinguishing his blast—though certainly not his rage.

"I believe I made myself very clear earlier, god of destruction," the Supreme Kai stated, "you will not destroy this world."

"Suddenly grown a backbone?" the god of destruction jeered, "well it doesn't matter! If I have to destroy you too, so be it!"

"Hah!" Kibito exclaimed, "you think we didn't hear your attendant's little slip earlier?"

"That's right," the Supreme Kai confirmed, "I know you can't destroy me without destroying yourself. So you've got nothing you can hold over me."

"Tch. Damn your blabbermouth, Whis," Beerus spat. The angel turned away and whistled innocently.

"But because I'm so committed to working together _nicely_," Shin remarked with a biting hint of sarcasm, "I have a proposal for you."

The deities lowered themselves down onto the lookout as the Z warriors watched on in fear and confusion.

"I'm going to help you get your Super Saiyan God," Shin continued, to which Beerus raised a brow, "if you can just wait a little longer, I will find you a righteous saiyan, and use my power to bring them here."

"Counter-proposal: you're an idiot and I'm going to trap you in an inanimate object like so many of your predecessors!" Beerus rebuked, "we already found all the saiyans alive! How are _you _going to mystic up a new saiyan for me? You're just wasting more of my time!"

Beerus was about to resume his assault on the planet and recharge his blast, before a surge in energy came from the Supreme Kai.

"Trap me?" the Supreme Kai mused, "a smart idea… but it won't work!" He channeled his energy in his hand, forming a deadly blade of ki before pressing it against his own neck.

"S-Seriously?!" Beerus yelled in fear, "You've got to be bluffing… you'd leave this universe without its Supreme Kai _and_ god of destruction just to save one lousy planet?"

"Master, you can't!" exclaimed a worried Kibito.

Shin remained silent, but his hand did not budge an inch.

"Oh, fine!" Beerus relented, "what's your blasted idea to get another good-natured saiyan?"

With a confident smile, the Supreme Kai lowered his hand. "I'm glad you're deciding to hear me out—thank you for your _generosity_, Lord Beerus."

The cat growled. This kid was getting way too cocky.

"My plan is simple: find a righteous saiyan in the Other World."


	3. Chapter 3

"The Other World?" Beerus repeated in disbelief.

"Indeed," the Supreme Kai smiled, "there may not be many saiyans left alive, but there are certainly plenty dead. All we have to do is find one and bring them here briefly; I'm sure King Yemma will understand."

"Even so," Beerus conceded, "most saiyans, even in the past, were nowhere near righteous. It could take ages to find one, and as I'm sure you've realized, I'm not the most patient deity around."

"Not to worry, Lord Beerus," the Kai assured, "I promise I will not disappoint."

With a sigh, Beerus waved Shin off. "Well, I will hold you to that. Off you go."

Giving the god of destruction a quick nod, Shin made his way towards his attendant, readying himself to leave for the Other World. However, he was stopped in his tracks by a bowing, elderly Namekian.

"Thank you, Oh benevolent Grand Kai, for saving our planet. We are forever in your debt," Kami said.

Kibito flashed a look of irritation, while Shin merely let out a soft chuckle—perhaps the most relaxed he had shown himself since arriving on Earth.

"I appreciate the sentiment, Guardian of Earth," the Supreme Kai replied, "but you are mistaken, for I am not the Grand Kai, but the _Supreme_ Kai."

The guardian's eyes widened in shock.

"My sincerest apologies, your greatness!" Kami frantically apologized.

"No need for apologies," Shin said with a smile, "besides, I have my own incentives for protecting this planet," he finished cryptically. He then joined hands with Kibito before bidding farewell, and the two disappeared as quickly as they had come.

"Supreme Kai, huh? He seemed really strong," Goku considered thoughtfully, before asking Kami, "any relation to King Kai?"

"The King Kai whom you know watches over the North quadrant of our universe, while three other Kais oversee the rest," Kami explained, "The Grand Kai presides over all of them. I had always suspected that there must be a level higher than him, but my suspicions were never confirmed… until today."

The explanation gained an impressed whistle from Yamcha. "Man, I had no idea the ladder went up that high," the bandit remarked, "we're learning a lot about how the universe really works today, huh?"

"No kidding," Tien agreed. Everyone was more than a little tired and confused at all the information being thrown at them over the course of a single day. However, a certain lavender haired boy seemed to be processing all this worse than anybody.

Noticing the older boy's mood, the young Gohan spoke up.

"Uh, mister," he said to Trunks, "is everything ok? You seem kinda down."

Trunks gave a small smile towards the younger version of his late master. Even at such a tender age, the boy was just as perceptive and caring as he remembered. He considered brushing the child's worries off, but quickly realized Gohan wouldn't buy it. He knew, Gohan always knew.

"Well Gohan, I've just been thinking," Trunks admitted, "today the Earth has seen the two highest gods in the universe, whose powers vastly outclass anyone I've ever met—even the androids."

"I just wonder… why haven't any of these gods come to Earth in my time? With their help, the androids would be a complete nonissue."

Gohan gave him a small understanding nod; he didn't really know what to say to that, but luckily someone else spoke up.

"Look kid, I understand where you're coming from, though it might not seem like it, I really do," Beerus said, "But sometimes, in the long run, mortal life thrives best without the intervention of the gods."

"That didn't seem to stop you now," Bulma cut in, ever the defiant one.

Beerus shrugged. "Time travel is serious business, I don't know what else to tell you. When something threatens the very integrity of reality, yeah, I'm going to intervene. All I'm saying is that too much intervention on our part sometimes only makes things worse. That's why I like to keep to myself most of the time."

"What he's really saying," Whis teased, "is that he prefers his naps to his duties."

"WHIS!" Beerus growled at his attendant, who merely chuckled softly in response. After a moment of hesitation, everyone joined in with hysterical laughter, even the saiyans. They all needed a moment like this after everything they'd gone through today.

"Well, speaking of resting," Beerus said after things had calmed down, "Kami! Get me a reclining chair, would you? I've been standing for long enough."

From a distance, Trunks watched the antics of the Guardian of Earth scrambling to materialize a comfortable reclining chair for the god of destruction. Everyone was laughing, joking, even in the face of a fearsome foe who had not ten minutes ago threatened to destroy their entire planet. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen anyone so… happy.

And he couldn't help but smile along with them.

* * *

"Is he back yet, Whis?" Beerus asked lazily from his reclining chair.

"No Lord Beerus."

"But it's been forever!" the cat whined, "I'm so bored!"

"It's been five minutes, Lord Beerus."

"Like I said, forever!" Beerus pouted, before turning idly towards the Z warriors, to see how they would pass the time.

Gohan, Krillin, Trunks, Bulma, and Tarble were all playing cards together, while Goku watched them excitedly; though it looked like fun, the goofy saiyan knew he wouldn't be nearly smart enough to even grasp the rules. It was remarkable how well Trunks and Tarble were integrating into the group despite having been around for less than a day. These people really were something else.

As the group played, Krillin's curiosity about the younger saiyan prince reminded him of something he had said.

"So Tarble," the bald monk questioned, "what exactly do you need Vegeta's help for? You mentioned it earlier, and Beerus said something about you wanting to save your planet."

Tarble nodded, with a clear hint of sadness in his face. "Indeed, my home planet is in grave danger. Since the rumor of Frieza's demise on Namek spread, many different warlords and elites from the Frieza Force have been fighting over the scraps of his empire. My planet was under the jurisdiction of two elites named Abo and Cado—in the state of disarray, they've only tightened their oppressive hold on my world, practically enslaving us."

"That's awful; I'm so sorry you've had to go through that," Krillin said with a sympathetic look, "have you been fighting them all on your own?"

Tarble looked away slightly. "Though I'm the strongest warrior on my own planet, as far as saiyans go… I'm actually pretty weak," he admitted, "while Abo and Cado are each on the level of the Ginyu Force, and growing stronger every day. I know I'd be no match for them."

Krillin and Gohan shuddered, recalling their own terrifying battle with the Ginyu Force on Namek, not too long ago.

"The Ginyu Force were horrifyingly strong," Gohan offered, "I still have nightmares of Recoome snapping my neck."

Tarble reeled in surprise.

"You mean you fought the Ginyu Force?!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, well I wasn't alone," Gohan chuckled, his demeanor lightening, "right Vegeta?" The aforementioned prince merely ignored the child, though his irritation was rising.

"Even still, a child in a battle against the Ginyu Force," Tarble marveled, "how is such a thing even possible?"

"Because unlike you, the filthy halfling isn't a _complete _coward," Vegeta cut in, "if you had any guts, or any real saiyan pride, you'd have faced them no matter the odds! _We_ were completely outmatched and you know what happened?"

"I sent those bastards to hell myself," he declared, casting a proud thumb towards his chest.

"Well that's one way of putting it," Krillin snickered, "but the way I remember it, you only did all that _after_ Goku knocked them silly."

Vegeta growled and turned away as the group shared a hearty chuckle.

"In any case, Mr. Tarble, you needn't worry," Gohan assured the prince, "you've got my Dad on your side now!"

A warm smile from Son Goku confirmed his son's sentiment and put Tarble at ease.

"You are very kind," Tarble said with gratitude, "Thank you. My world and I will be forever in your debt."

"I gotta say Tarble, you're a whole lot nicer than that mean older brother of yours," Bulma said.

"Yeah!" Krillin agreed, "it's kind of strange honestly, until today, we've never met a saiyan who hasn't immediately tried to kill us! Well, aside from Goku of course, but that's only because he hit his head as a kid."

"Well, I'm glad you think so highly of me," Tarble laughed with a small smile, "I suppose because of how weak I was born, and all the scorn the saiyans showed me for it, I learned some compassion. Of course, growing up on a planet of peaceful people who genuinely cared for me didn't hurt either; that's why, though my experiences have made me detest combat, I will do anything to protect my home."

"Man, are you _really_ Vegeta's brother?" Bulma chuckled, "You couldn't be more different!"

"Well, now that you mention it, I do see some resemblance," Gohan piped up.

"Yeah, I see it too," Bulma mused, "they're both pretty cute, although I think I'd prefer the brother who's a real gentleman to pig-headed brute!" Bulma gave the younger prince a playful wink, to which he blushed profusely.

"Oh come on, I'm sure Vegeta's not all that bad, haha!" Trunks yelped quickly, almost frantically, "he is the stronger brother after all, that's got to be pretty uh, 'hot' right Bulma?"

Everyone was stunned speechless.

"N-no offense to you or anything Tarble!" Trunks quickly added, "you're great too!"

"O-oh, thank you, it's really no matter," Tarble responded to his nephew from the future, "after all, though I appreciate your sentiments Ms. Bulma, I'm already ah, spoken for, if you will."

"Well, whoever they are, they're certainly very lucky" Bulma smiled.

"And don't you seem quite interested in the grumpy old prince, hm?" Bulma pried, turning her attention towards Trunks, "I'll admit I thought you were pretty cute myself, but even so, I can't deny you two would be even cuter; I ship it."

"No no no no no!" Trunks shouted, quite alarmed and disgusted. He knew she didn't know that they were his parents, but still! First she tried to hit on him herself, now this?! He was only trying to make sure his mother got together with his father, but things just could not go smoothly, could they?

"It's not like that, I swear!" the lavender-haired time traveler continued, "I just… can appreciate when another man looks good, okay?!"

Bulma nodded, giving him a surprised, yet impressed look.

"It's great to see that even in a post-apocalyptic future, humanity is still making progress," the scientist said, placing a respectful hand on the young hybrid's shoulder, "I'm so proud that boys like you will be able grow up so secure in their masculinity. It's very heartwarming."

Well, at least this was better than unintentionally incestuous comments.

"Th-thanks Bulma, I guess you're right," Trunks replied, still feeling uncomfortable, though grateful for her change in demeanor, "anyways, let's get back to the game, shall we?"

Fascinated as he watched the group leave the whacky exchange behind and resume their game, the god of destruction considered joining in as well; it sure looked like fun, and Beerus loved a good friendly competition. Well, as long as he was the winner, of course. However, before he could march over there and demand they include him, something else caught his eye. He noticed the taciturn Broly also giving the group a curious look. The tall saiyan looked wistful, almost longing. Beerus was not the only one who noticed this however, as the youngest saiyan took a pause in the game and walked up to the larger one.

"Uh, hi mister Broly!" Gohan greeted cheerfully, "would you like to play with us too?"

Broly was clearly taken aback by the child's offer. "Play…?" he repeated, confusedly. It had been so long since he was last able to play, he barely remembered what it felt like.

"Yeah!" the young saiyan hybrid beamed, "it's really fun, you should come join us!"

Did he really want to play with Broly? The kid looked so happy and inviting, Broly desperately wanted to join him, but he couldn't fathom the idea that he would actually want his company. Before Broly could even generate another sound however, his father answered for him.

"Absolutely not!" Paragus barked at the young boy, "Broly doesn't need to distract himself with petty games, and certainly not with the likes of you, who consort with Prince Vegeta!" The elder saiyan, having been exposed by Beerus, was no longer trying to hide any of his anger or hatred.

"I wasn't asking you, you big meanie!" Gohan retorted, growing angry, "Broly's a grown-up! He doesn't need some grumpy old guy to tell him what to do, he can choose himself!"

"Don't talk like that, please," Broly said quietly, "he is my father. It's not right for you to say that about him." The response surprised the boy, but he quickly mumbled a polite apology and walked away dejectedly, returning to his friends. Broly watched Gohan leave with sad eyes.

"It seems like your hunch about the relationship between that father and son may have been correct Lord Beerus," Whis noted, as the pair watched the interaction from afar.

Beerus nodded in response. "Being stranded on that planet for so long with nothing but revenge on his mind really turned Paragus into something quite nasty," he remarked, "But also quite interesting…Whis, why don't we go over there? I have an idea which might prove entertaining."

* * *

Beerus and Whis walked casually up to Paragus and Broly, the former sporting a devious smirk on his face.

"My lord?" Paragus stammered tensely as the god approached him "how may I be of ser-"

"I have a question for you, saiyan," Beerus declared, not allowing him to finish, "I sense such hatred, such a lust for vengeance within you. And yet you haven't lifted so much as a finger against Prince Vegeta."

"I-I simply didn't want to upset your rest, my lord."

"Oh, can it with the bootlicking," Beerus retorted, "you already burned that bridge through your failure in the ritual."

Paragus merely gulped.

"Now that it won't affect my plans, I couldn't care less what you do about your little feud," Beerus continued, "and frankly, I could use some entertainment until the Supreme Kai returns. So—I suppose I should make myself clear—I'm not asking, but _telling_ you: please, exact your 'revenge' or whatever before I die of boredom. Sound good?"

Paragus nodded.

"Oh, and make sure none of the saiyans actually I _need _die, understood?"

"I understand."

"Good," Beerus smiled. This was going to be one hell of a show.

Paragus turned to his son. "The time has come for us to take our revenge, Broly," he said, "I've trained you your entire life for this moment."

"Go forth my son, destroy Prince Vegeta, and anyone who would try and stop you!"

"Anyone…?" Broly questioned, as opposed to heeding his father's commands, "But…"

Broly looked upon the group of Vegeta's comrades, who had played together peacefully and amicably, who even showed enough compassion to offer him the chance to be like one of them himself. Those same people who now, looked in horror at what was transpiring before them. Broly didn't want this.

"Father, I…" Broly stammered, but his hesitation was costly, as Paragus unclipped a small device from his belt.

With the push of a button, his father activated his collar, which sent a biting current of electricity through his entire body, shocking Broly to the bone. Falling to his knees and writhing in pain, Broly let out a wail which reverberated around the entire palace. The rest of the lookout watched in shock, wondering how someone could be so cruel to their own child.

"You do what your father says, you hear me?!" Paragus screamed at his son as he slowly released the button. After catching his breath, Broly got up and gave a somber nod towards his father. "Good." Paragus said, in a quiet and icy tone, before thrusting his arm out forward, towards his sworn enemy.

"DO IT BROLY!"

In an instant, the tall saiyan's power rose higher than anything anyone had sensed from him since he arrived. Before anyone could even react, or get some semblance of what was going on, Broly was already upon the prince, with his arm cocked backwards. Vegeta just barely blocked the blow in time, and the clash reverberated not only through his arm, but the entire lookout as well.

Trunks quickly rose to his feet and placed a tense hand on the hilt of his blade, readying himself to draw it and jump in the battle, but Goku stopped him.

"I know you're worried Trunks, but have some faith in your father," Goku said so only the two of them could hear, "Vegeta's one of the greatest fighters I've ever faced. He can handle himself." At this, the young man backed down, heeding Goku's words for now, though keeping a watchful eye on his father. The rest of the Z fighters followed their lead, opting to see how this would play out.

Broly's initial blow began to push Vegeta back, who barely stopped himself at the edge of the lookout. Broly followed up with a kick from the left, which Vegeta narrowly dodged. As the larger saiyan prepared another attack, the prince launched himself off of the lookout to gain some distance, buying himself enough time to power up, and assemble a retaliation.

As Broly hurtled himself toward Vegeta, the latter launched a quick blast at his opponent. The attack hit Broly head on, exploding on impact. A cloud of dust and smoke remained in his place, but by his energy, Vegeta knew the other saiyan was far from done.

Broly appeared abruptly out of the smoke, and though Vegeta threw his arms up in defense, the larger saiyan was to break through it for long enough to grab the prince by his head. Broly spun himself around furiously before throwing Vegeta into the lookout, forming a small crater and shaking the entire palace.

Just as the prince recovered, Broly resumed his assault, showering Vegeta in a volley of blows. Vegeta dodged them skillfully, as his opponent brutishly crushed the marble beneath him. Biding his time as he evaded the furious flurry of attacks, he noticed several holes and openings in the larger saiyan's fighting style. Finally making a move, Vegeta exploited one such opening as he thrust his yellow-clad legs forward, planting his leather shoes firmly into Broly's jaw with as much force as he could muster.

The well-timed move sent the son of Paragus flying into the clouds as Vegeta grounded himself back on the surface of the lookout with a quick flip.

"Broly clearly has an edge in raw power," noted Piccolo, as he watched the bout with the rest of the Z warriors, "but Vegeta vastly outmatches him when it comes to skill. If he plays it smart, he might actually win this."

Goku nodded in agreement. "But man, to think there was another saiyan around with this much power; it's outrageous!" the earth-raised saiyan praised, "if he'd been with us on Namek, we'd have been able to give Frieza a lot of trouble even before I transformed."

Their musings were interrupted by the primal roar of a fast approaching Broly. Deciding to finally go on the offensive, Vegeta launched himself at the other saiyan, his power blazing. As they met, the two warriors burst into a heated exchange of attacks, the prince keeping pace with the brute using his superior tactics. Even still, Vegeta found it increasingly difficult to keep this up as the fight continued; not only was his stamina draining, but Broly's brawler-like fighting style was slowly becoming more and more refined… it's like he was learning during the damn fight! If he had any hope of victory, he was going to have to end this soon.

"You dare…" Vegeta started, concentrating his ki towards his center as he continued fighting, "lay a hand on your PRINCE?!"

With a powerful yell, Vegeta extended his limbs outward and released his power in a shockwave, catching Broly off guard and knocking him back. Using this as an opportunity to gain some more distance, Vegeta flew away from the larger saiyan at top speed, all the while continuing to concentrate his ki even more. Once he felt Broly recover, he turned his head to face him, keeping the rest of his turned to the side as he raised his arms with his fists at his chest.

"GALICK GUN…!" the saiyan prince chanted as Broly rushed towards him. The taller saiyan opened his mouth wide and used it to form a blast of his own.

As Vegeta continued to charge his ki, Broly decided to make haste and fire as much power as he could with a deafening roar.

The blast hit Vegeta point blank.

"NO!" Trunks screamed from the lookout, in pure terror. But… as he looked around, no one else seemed to react.

"Use your senses, kid," Piccolo scoffed, "have you felt your precious Vegeta's ki drop one bit? In fact, it's only increased."

From the dust and smoke from the explosion cleared, a battered, bloody, and burned Vegeta emerged, his glorious pink shirt in tatters and his body illuminated by a pale, purple light.

"He… used his ki to defend against the attack while he took it head on!" Trunks gasped. He couldn't help but marvel at his father's fighting prowess; he really was a fighting genius.

"FIRE!"

Vegeta poured all his power into the Galick Gun, firing it at Broly. Like Trunks, Vegeta's opponent had made the folly of assuming his demise, and let his guard down because of it.

Broly screamed in agony as the blast knocked him back into the lookout in a blinding purple flash, taking a chunk of the palace out with him. The subsequent explosion left him motionless in a deep crater of marble.

"Looks like your brat's through, huh?" Beerus said to Paragus, who nodded solemnly in response.

"What a shame," the god of destruction mused, "All that impressive power and he barely lasted a few minutes. Just what have you been teaching him all these years?"

Reveling in victory, Vegeta touched back down on the now battle-damaged lookout. Tearing off what remained of his shirt, the bloodied saiyan prince approached Beerus and Paragus, outstretching an open palm towards the latter. With a scowl, he charged a small ki blast in his hand.

"Now that you can't hide behind your son, you have two options, you waste of saiyan blood" Vegeta told the elder saiyan gravely, "either face me yourself like a true warrior, or beg for mercy like the coward you are."

Paragus trembled with fear, fumbling to maintain any semblance of composure. "L-lord Beetus?" he pleaded, hoping for any sign of support from the god.

"Don't look at me," Beerus shrugged, "This is your fight. The prince was kind enough to spare your son, and I don't need either of you, so what happens from here on out is of no concern to me."

"So in the end, you only choose cowardice," Vegeta said with a smirk, readying an attack to end Paragus, who shook in cold sweat.

Before he could make another move however, a loud, familiar roar echoed across the skies. In a flash of sickeningly green light, Broly emerged… but he was changing, his power rising. His muscles expanded, doubling in size; his hair spiked outward in all directions. Finally, as his power reached new heights and his screams grew more animalistic—almost apelike, Broly's eyes took on a wild yellow hue.

Before anyone could react, the rabid saiyan barreled towards Vegeta and struck him square in the jaw with his new power. The prince was knocked back, collapsing to the floor on the other side of the lookout. Broly pursued his body, forming a ki blast in his hand and launching it at Vegeta. However, before the blast could hit its intended target, it was split in two and detonated prematurely.

Between Broly and Vegeta stood a certain lavender-haired time traveler, sword drawn at his side. Trunks immediately flashed into super saiyan and took a defensive stance. It was clear to him that his father would stand no chance against the brute now, and he wasn't about to let him die. With a new target in sight, Broly launched himself at Trunks, and the two began to clash at a level the Z warriors had never seen before.

"Would you look at that," Beerus regarded a panicking Paragus, intrigued by this development, "it seems your son may have some fight left in him after all. Tell me, what is this… transformation? It has increased his power dramatically, yet it appears quite different to the 'super saiyan' transformation the other two have displayed."

"Y-yes my lord, it is something else entirely," the mustache-clad saiyan answered, "I'm sure you've heard of the saiyans' ability to transform into a mighty Ozaru, should they look upon a full moon and have their tail?"

The god of destruction nodded.

"Well, as you must have noticed by now, my son no longer possess a tail; as an Ozaru, he was simply too difficult to contain, so I deemed it safer to cut him off from that beastly power," Paragus continued, "and yet it still found a way to persist. Even without his tail, Broly has discovered a way to call on that power; this… is the Ozaru's _wrath_.

Broly screamed bloody murder as he relently assaulted Trunks, furious as none of his blows were landing. He may have powered up, but his enraged state made it hard for him to focus and employ what little skill he had. On the other hand, Trunks was completely on the defensive; he knew that for a fighter like Broly, he needed to end things quickly, but worried that releasing too much power right here would endanger those he was protecting. He needed to get Broly away from the lookout.

"Broly's new power-up is so strong!" marveled Gohan, watching from a safe distance, "have you ever seen a saiyan do anything like that, Dad?"

"I can't say I have, son," answered Goku, who had decided to remain an observer for the time being, "this new power of his is really something. But I don't think you should count out the super saiyan transformation just yet either."

"That's right," Piccolo agreed, "in fact, it would seem that our new friend from the future still holds a sizable lead on Broly when it comes to power. Although…"

"His power, as sporadic as it is, shows a clear positive trend. Broly has done nothing but improve since he started fighting, both in power and skill."

Goku nodded. "That's why Vegeta tried to end it as quick as he did. Let's just hope the kid shares that sensibility."

_I can't keep this up forever._ Trunks grit his teeth, having made the same observation as his spectators. He needed to turn this fight airborne, _fast_. Lashing out with his blade, the young super saiyan finally began to go on the offensive, barely missing Broly by a millimeter with each swipe. With one particularly striking, two-handed swing, Trunks sliced a tuft of hair off of the taller saiyan, narrowly avoiding his face. The move created the opening the saiyan swordsman needed, and he capitalized on it by delivering a powerful kick to Broly's midsection, which sent him flying off of the lookout and into the sky.

Sheathing his sword for the time being, Trunks took off after Broly, ready to strike. However, his opponent regained his bearings quicker than he had anticipated; Broly countered the boy's attack with one of his own, sending the latter flying. Though knocked back and hurtling through the air, Trunks had taken little to no damage. You learned to take your beatings in stride where he came from, and this was nothing compared to the brutality of the androids. As he continued to hurtle backwards, he thrust his arms forth in all directions, gathering ki in a blur. Broly, none the wiser, began pursuing his target with his now signature animalistic roar. In one final motion, Trunks outstretched his palms towards Broly.

"BURNING ATTACK!"

The wrathful saiyan threw his arms up in defense as the blast barrelled towards him and detonated. Despite coming out of it visibly damaged, Broly continued trudging forward like a tank. Trunks too began to hurtle towards the other combatant, seemingly preparing for another direct clash. Broly clenched his fist in a punch, launching it at the younger saiyan as they came together.

But rather than the firm sensation of his fist connecting with Trunk's body, Broly felt only the cloth of his jacket and sheath-strap. Removing his fist from the attire, which pulled by the weight of the sword, fell gracefully back down to the lookout, the long-haired saiyan's eyes darted around in confusion. Where was he? His opponent couldn't have just disappeared.

His saiyan instincts kicking in, Broly snapped his head upwards, but it was too late. He looked just in time to see a yellow boot collide forcefully with his face, putting him in a daze as he rocketed back towards the lookout. Before he could reach it however, Trunks intercepted him yet again, kicking Broly directly upwards.

As the son of Paragus tried to regain his bearings, the son of Vegeta lifted his arms to the sky, preparing another attack. A dome of heated energy began to form around Trunks, and using his arms as a guide, Trunks funneled the energy upwards in a brilliant golden beam. Having not completely recovered from the earlier onslaught, Broly found himself taking the blast head on.

"That was an impressive feint," remarked Piccolo, "I've got to admit, I didn't expect someone with such little practical martial arts training to pull that off."

"Haha, well I guess Gohan must've taught him more than we gave him credit for, huh?" Goku smiled with pride.

"Me..?" the young Gohan asked, in an understandable confusion.

"Oh uh," Goku stammered before scratching his head and laughing in his typical fashion, "don't mind me, I'm just talking nonsense haha!"

Piccolo sighed and placed his face in his hand.

From the smoke of Trunks' attack emerged a badly beaten Broly, covered in bruises and burns, his hair singed. Between two beatdowns from the saiyan prince and his spawn from the future, Broly had taken a lot of damage. But he wasn't done yet.

Trunks was surprised. He'd never fought someone so close in power to himself before; only foes he could one-shot like Frieza or his father, and beings that far outclassed him, like the androids or Gohan. His whole life he had only known combat for survival and yet this battle was starting to feel… _exhilarating_. Against all rational judgement, he was _happy_ to see that Broly still had some fight left in him. Maybe it was his saiyan blood, or just the catharsis of a real fight as opposed to a clobbering, but Trunks was almost starting to enjoy this.

Wordlessly, the two fighters propelled themselves towards each other to continue their bout. Unbeknownst to even himself, a faint smirk—not unlike that of a certain prince—could be seen on Trunks' face.

* * *

This was _bad._ Paragus watched the two continue to duke it out with nervous eyes. Sure, Broly's energy was still climbing; it always did. But after that last attack, he could tell better than anyone else that his son was fast approaching his body's limit; not to mention that thus far, no matter how powerful Broly got, the boy still managed to keep pace with him. The super saiyan power certainly held up to the legend. At this rate, there was no way Paragus would have his revenge.

Almost as if answering the saiyan's qualms, something began to twitch in the corner of Paragus' eye. The prince was stirring. Of course! Why wait for Broly when his target was weakened and ripe for the picking? With a conniving smile on his face, Paragus silently slipped away, and made for the awakening Vegeta.

Vision gradually returned to Prince Vegeta as he regained his consciousness. Suddenly remembering all that had happened, he snapped awake and attempted to get back on his feet, but lifting himself onto his arms was the best he could do. He looked around frantically to see what had become of his opponent, only to see him locked in an awesome brawl with the boy from the future. To have to be saved by that imposter of a saiyan… How could he be so weak?! Vegeta didn't have any longer to lament his wounded pride however, as a figure loomed over him, hand outstretched.

"Why hello there, my _prince_," Paragus mocked, "you look like you could use a hand." The elder saiyan charged a ki blast in his palm.

Vegeta spat blood into his assailant's face.

"Trying to end a weakened foe?" Vegeta shot back defiantly, "your cowardice knows no bounds… truly unbefitting of a saiyan."

"Don't _you _talk of cowardice!" Paragus exclaimed, "when your own father exiled Broly out of fear and jealousy of his power!"

"Your grudge with him is _not_ my business," Vegeta retorted, "I am not my father."

"I would beg to differ dear prince," laughed Paragus, "in both appearance and disposition, what you have shown me today is that you very much are." The prince grit his teeth, growling. To this, Paragus merely smirked and charged his blast further, preparing to unleash it.

However, the attack was swatted away before it could leave his hand, by a small white boot.

"Leave him alone!" yelled Tarble, who upon his intervention, positioned himself in a fighting stance between his elder brother and Paragus.

"You..!" Paragus spat in irritation, "Don't throw away your life like this. Despite your heritage, I _was_ going to spare you; you're just as much a victim of your bastard father as I."

Tarble held his ground. "It's true—my father hurt me greatly, exiling me, his own son, out of shame for my power level. But my brother is different!"

"Oh?" asked Paragus, narrowing his eyes in skepticism, "and how did your dear brother greet you after years apart?"

The younger prince simply clenched his fists tight.

"He showed you the same shame! He called you a coward just for seeking his help!"

"And just how can you get off on judging my family?!" Tarble hollered, gesturing his hands towards the battle raging in the skies, "when you've turned your own son into a living weapon!"

Glancing up at his son, who was fighting Trunks in a barbaric frenzy, Paragus' eyes widened in shock. However, this soon turned to seething rage.

"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT US, YOU LITTLE BRAT!" he screamed, throwing a vengeful fist at the smaller saiyan.

Luckily, his anger made the attack sloppy, allowing Tarble to narrowly dodge it, and exploit the newfound opening with an assault of his own: a barrage of kicks to Paragus' face. The maneuver pushed him back, distancing the skirmish from Vegeta. Flipping off of the elder saiyan's face, Tarble regained his footing on the ground before launching himself back at Paragus. With that, the two weakest saiyans clashed.

The young prince fought valiantly, using his small stature to his advantage by attacking nimbly from all sides. Even still, Paragus followed him blow for blow, dodging or parrying every strike expertly; it was painfully clear to Tarble that he was sorely outmatched.

Finally, Paragus countered a kick aimed at his side by grasping Tarble's leg.

"I offered you a way out, but if you'd prefer to die for those who scorn you, then so be it!" he declared as he smashed his adversary's small body into the ground. Then he lifted the prince, before bringing him down again. And again. The father of Broly repeatedly slammed the younger saiyan into the marble floor of the lookout, with deadly intent. Finally, he held Tarble up in front of himself, face to face, charging a blast in his free hand to finish the job.

"Now just what do you think you're doing, saiyan?" an ice cold voice spoke out.

Turning in surprise, Paragus found none other than Beerus the destroyer accosting him, a viciously stoic look on his face.

"L-lord Beerus!"

"I thought I told you _specifically_ not to let any of the saiyans I need die," Beerus seethed, "and funny enough, I find you _actively_ trying to kill one of them."

"M-my apologies great destroy-" Paragus was cut short as the aforementioned god grasped his wrist tightly, forcing him to drop Tarble.

"Save it."

Paragus shook with fear. How could he have been so stupid?! He had let that little imp of a saiyan get under his skin, let his anger get the better of him… and now he would _never_ get his revenge.

"P-please Lord Beerus, have mercy!"

"I _said_, SAVE IT!" Beerus yelled, snapping the saiyan's arm like a twig. Paragus screamed out in agony.

"Y'know, you've been irking me since the moment you got here, saiyan," Beerus said, his voice dangerously low, "and I've been just _rearing_ to destroy _something_ since I woke up this morning, only to be denied that satisfaction time and time again."

"But I think this time I won't be," the destroyer decreed, placing his hand upon the trembling Paragus, before uttering a single word.

"_Hakai."_

The word reverberated around the entire palace, and beyond, capturing the attention of the Z warriors, and even Trunks and Broly.

Paragus' entire body glowed in a ghostly white light. The saiyan watched in horror as his own body disintegrated to nothing in front of his very eyes. For the first time since they got there, the lookout was in complete silence. You could hear a pin drop.

A moment later, the sound of a shrill cry cut through the silence.

The wail was all too familiar, one of Broly's now characteristic screams. And yet, his roars seemed less animalistic or barbaric than before… more distressed, pained. Having watched the only man he ever knew fade from existence, he let out shierk after shriek, the sound reverberating through the sky like a grating wind.

All eyes turned to Broly as his cries were soon accompanied by a violent pulsation of his green aura. The mourning saiyan held his head in his hands as he thrashed about, his aura growing brighter, larger, denser—soon encompassing his entire body, while showing no signs of slowing down.

Trunks watched in a complete stupor as waves of energy from Broly forced their way outward, catching the son of Vegeta in their line of destruction. The agonizing screams grew louder still, and his eyes turned from yellow into a bloodshot red. Finally, Broly's highly concentrated aura of ki exploded outwards, engulfing himself and his opponent in a flash. For a few moments, there was a welcomed reprieve from the hollers, though everyone's ears still rang. However, what followed was equally as terrorizing to the onlookers' senses and hearts.

Surrounded by his thick green aura, Broly sported even further expanded muscles, bright red eyes which shone like stars, and a large mane of glowing gold locks.

Broly was a super saiyan.

* * *

"D-did he really do it, Dad?" Gohan asked, stunned as everyone else.

"He did son," answered Goku solemnly, "there's no mistaking that energy—Broly is a super saiyan."

"But he was holding his own against a super saiyan even before!" Krillin panicked, "Just how strong is this guy going to get?"

"The man from the future doesn't stand a chance anymore!" Gohan exclaimed, readying himself to jump in, "we have to help him!" The boy was stopped by a swift hand from his father.

"I've got this," Goku assured his son, placing the index and middle fingers of his other hand to his forehead.

"Wh-what are you doing, Dad?" asked Gohan in confusion. His father gave him no answer, but simply vanished into thin air.

Up in the sky, Trunks was not having the loveliest of times—even by his standards. The warrior from the future was covered in blood and burns, just barely hanging on to his super saiyan power, an entire side of his black top torn to shreds. He was glad he ditched the jacket earlier; he only had the one, and he knew his mom would kill him if anything happened to it.

Before he continued with such frivolous thoughts however, he couldn't help but notice the newly ordained super saiyan making a beeline towards him. Flaring up his ki, Trunks threw his arms up in defense, bracing himself for the impact. But it never came. Instead, the young super saiyan found himself ripped from reality in a disorienting haze, before resurfacing back on the lookout, with Son Goku by his side.

"What… was that?" Trunks asked, blinking in confusion.

"No way!" Gohan piped up, "are you really that fast Dad? I didn't even see you move!"

Goku shook his head. "Actually, it's a technique I picked up in space, from the Planet Yardrat: Instant Transmission. It allows me to instantaneously move relative to any ki I can sense! I'll tell you more about it later, but for now we have other things to worry about," the Earth-raised saiyan said, looking up to the sky. Broly was confused as to where his prey had disappeared to, searching around frantically.

This was only going to buy them a few more moments, Goku judged. Clenching his fists, he channeled his own ki, completing the legendary saiyan transformation himself. His power was still heightened from their earlier failed attempt at the ritual, but against the monstrous energy they were sensing off Broly...

"Goku, don't tell me you're going to fight him!" Krillin warned, "there's no way you could beat him yourself, you saw what he did to our other super saiyan just by transforming! Why don't we leave it to Beerus?"

"If you haven't noticed, Krillin, the god of destruction seems plenty content as a spectator for now," answered the deep voice of Piccolo. Sure enough, the cat could be seen idly watching the affair, quite bemused.

"Besides," the Namekian warrior continued, "he's not alone." To his point, Piccolo shed his weighted cloak and turban, readying himself to fight.

"I've still got enough energy to help out too," added Trunks, flaring up his golden aura.

"Me too!" Gohan chimed in, but the youngest saiyan was stopped by his master.

"No Gohan," Piccolo said, "you're not strong enough, at this level he could kill you without a second thought—you'd only get in the way."

"Besides, we need you to protect the weak and injured here… this battle's only going to get uglier, and I'd rather not be taken out of it prematurely because my _weaker _half got offed by some stray energy blast," Piccolo finished, shooting a pointed glance at Kami. Gohan gave his master an understanding nod.

"Alright, let's go!" Goku proclaimed, and the three warriors rocketed up towards the newest super saiyan.

Shockwaves could be felt, even from the lookout, as the four fighters clashed in succession, faster than the remaining Z warriors could follow. Finally, their champions blurred into view, but Broly was coming on them fast. Just before he got close enough, the three warriors grabbed hold of each other and faded from his vision. The saiyan howled in rage; he was getting real tired of this vanishing act. Lucky for him, he wouldn't have to wait long before three distinct voices filled his ears from behind.

"MASENKO HA!"

"BUSTER CANNON!"

"KAMEHAMEHA!"

Though fearsome, the combined attack did little to stop the juggernaut of a saiyan, who simply tanked it, then whipped around and barreled towards his assailants at full speed.

"Rush him—I'll cover you!" shouted Piccolo to his comrades, who shot towards Broly, readying their own attacks. Just before they reached their opponent, the Namekian kept his word using his species' unique anatomy, by outstretching his arms and wrapping them around the brute, restraining him with all his strength.

Taking advantage of Broly's temporary restraints, the pair of super saiyans raised their fists side by side, punching him square in the face. Their fists throbbed in pain at the sheer strength of his body, but still managed to budge his head upward. Goku and Trunks followed up with an equally well timed blast to his face from each of them. However, despite their expert execution, the assault had scarcely phased the saiyan. With a mighty roar, Broly returned the favor with his own blast straight from his mouth.

In a deafening explosion, Trunks and Goku were sent flying earthbound, while the ends of Piccolos arms had been completely incinerated, thus freeing Broly from his bonds. The singed Namekian attempted to retract what remained of his arms, but the saiyan brawler grabbed them, using the length and elasticity of the appendages as leverage to hurl Piccolo right into the heart of the already crumbling lookout.

Meanwhile, the other two super saiyans regained their bearings, both rather worn from Broly's powerful attack. For the first time since Namek, Goku was sporting fresh wounds, with the sleeve on the side of his shoulder pad completely tattered. Trunks fared even worse, his wounds more severe as a result of his previous altercation with the brute. But these warriors were nothing if not resilient, as they launched themselves back into a heated exchange with the rampaging Broly.

With the others keeping their foe at bay for the time being, Piccolo freed himself from a pile of debris before heaving himself back onto the surface of the marred palace. Gasping, he took a moment to breathe before regenerating his arms. Peering at the brutal beatdown Broly was delivering to his allies, he realized their approach wasn't working—he needed to think of a plan.

Below the lookout, the bout between saiyans did not look good for the hero of Earth nor the hero of time, and like Piccolo, they could feel it all to well. With a particularly powerful punch, Broly sent Goku and Trunks hurtling downwards. From the sheer force of the blow, Goku knew that they had little chance of recovering before hitting the ground—as far away as it was—and causing immeasurable damage. As they fell, he noticed a streak of red next to him and instinctively grabbed for it.

Immediately, Goku's descent halted with a lurch. He then grabbed Trunks by the leg, stopping him as well. As the two regained their bearings, Goku smiled weakly at the familiar rod in his grasp, which had saved them from the fall.

"Is this..?" Trunks questioned, grasping onto it and supporting himself.

"Yeah," Goku answered, "my old power pole—it's used to connect the lookout to Korin's Tower. We're lucky the others left it here after they came up to train for the saiyan attack a couple years ago."

Nodding, Trunks looked up, returning his attention to the fight at hand. Broly had not quite yet located where they ended up after that last punch, granting them a moment to catch their breath and strategize. "So," he asked, "what's our next move?"

Before Goku could answer, a familiar voice entered the pair's heads.

"_If you guys can keep him busy for a few minutes," _said Piccolo telepathically, "_I think I might have something to end this."_

"Sounds as good a plan as any!" responded Goku as he hoisted his feet up onto the side of the pole. With a knowing smile he added, "try not to take me out with him this time, aye?"

"_No promises."_

"What the heck is he planning?!" Trunks asked.

"Don't worry, let's just hold him off like he said," Goku smiled back at Trunks, "keep clutching the pole, and on my signal, blast him like hell; I've got some tricks up my sleeve too."

Though visibly confused, Trunks nodded at Goku's instruction. These fighters had years of experience on him, he wasn't about to argue. At this sign of affirmation, Goku began to run up the power pole, gradually picking up speed.

"HEY, BROLY!" the Earth-raised saiyan yelled, grabbing the brute's attention. Broly flared his ki higher and flew down towards Goku.

"Power pole retract!" Goku chanted. As the pole dislodged itself from the lookout, he placed two fingers to his forehead.

A moment before Broly could collide with him, Goku disappeared, along with the power pole and Trunks. Broly growled in irritation. If his puny foes thought they could keep fooling him with that trick, they were solely mistaken. A flash of red briefly passed the corner or his eye, to which he turned to see the still enormous pole flying towards him. Grabbing for it to stop the attack, Broly was surprised to find that his hand passed right through it. Before he could properly get over his confusion, he saw the red weapon once more and attempted to block it, only to find it passed through him harmlessly yet again.

As Broly's frustration grew, so did the frequency in the appearance of these 'fake' power poles; he could not see them move from position to position, he had no idea where his foe really was. Before long, he found himself surrounded by the apparitions, leaving him completely befuddled, and utterly enraged. Broly screamed out in irritation, preparing to let his energy out in all directions, but was quickly stopped by the feeling of a very real pole smacking him across the stomach.

The blow sent Broly flying through the air—but he wasn't the only one. Trunks, who had still been holding onto the pole, was launched from it when it struck Broly, and followed a similar trajectory.

"NOW, TRUNKS!" Goku's voice echoed throughout the air.

Whipping around to see the young super saiyan, Broly found Trunks thrusting his arms quickly in all directions, gathering ki. Before he could block or dodge, Broly took a burning attack to the face.

Trunks followed up with a barrage of blows to the larger saiyan's chest, while Goku flew in with another whack from the power pole—which he had now retracted to a more reasonable length. Regaining his bearings at least partially, Broly tried to dodge and parry the blows, but the speed and finesse of the two warriors' movements proved a major hindrance.

* * *

Above the heated battle, Gohan had gathered the remaining Z warriors and allies in the least damaged section of the lookout. Whis had joined them as well, and the entire group watched what was transpiring just below them.

"Impressive," commented Tien, "he combined his new disappearing act with the afterimage technique to disorient Broly, giving them the opportunity to attack."

"Yeah, and he's still as good with that power pole as ever!" added Yamcha.

Gohan smiled in pride at his father's fighting genius. He really was the greatest. The young boy's admiration was interrupted however, as he noticed something, rather _someone_ else towards the edge of the lookout. Gohan quickly realised that it was his master Piccolo, who was gathering energy, perhaps for some large-scale attack.

"Guys, look at Mister Piccolo!" Gohan said to his friends.

"Wow, that sure is a lot of power he's gathering up there," noted Krillin, "if he concentrates it, he might actually have a chance at doing some damage to Broly!"

"Exactly!" agreed Gohan cheerfully, before having an idea, "why don't we lend him a hand?"

"What do you mean?" asked Krillin.

"We can all send him some of our ki, to make his attack even stronger!" answered Gohan, already starting to do just that.

With a nod to each other, Krillin, Tien, Kami, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu all followed his lead, augmenting the energy the Namekian was gathering with their own.

* * *

Back with the super saiyans, the fight was as intense as ever.

Goku and Trunks showered Broly in a relentless spree of punches, kicks, and blows from the power pole, which they were passing to each other between attacks. Broly took many attacks head on, only managing to counter or retaliate very rarely. Yet, it was still unclear if the pair of super saiyans were actually making any headway.

Trunks, power pole in hand, slashed downward onto Broly's head with all his might, in a move not dissimilar to the one he pulled on Frieza. The pole bore down on the large saiyan's head, but he pushed right back at it. The strain it put on his neck proved too much however, as he was forced to grasp the power pole with his hands and use them to push it back. With his torso now exposed, Goku let loose a flurry of jabs upon it.

It was becoming increasingly clear, however, that their seemingly devastating assaults were doing little more than irking the tank of a super saiyan. Despite their crafty maneuvers, despite their sheer effort and determination, Broly took everything without virtually any harm. As a super saiyan, he found his adversaries to be nothing but a nuisance. One that he was not going to tolerate any longer.

Letting out a primal scream, Broly forced Goku and Trunks back with a wave of energy pouring out from his body. Then, he systematically picked them off, delivering an uncontrolled, but very effective beat-down to them both. Gathering their heads in each of his hands, Broly smashed them together violently and repeatedly.

When he felt content with the brain damage he caused them, he let out another roar before proceeding to fly upwards and through a section of the lookout, smashing his victims through the hard marble, taking off a large chunk of the palace. As he emerged to the surface, Broly prepared to continue pummeling his opponents, but was met with something unexpected.

Sporting a fanged, devilish grin, and two fingers at his antenna-bearing forehead, Piccolo crackled with burning energy.

"MAKANKOSAPPO!"

Piccolo thrust his hand forward, out from which a drill of yellow and purple energy soared towards Broly before exploding in a brilliant flash of light, kicking dust and debris all across the ruined palace.

When his vision cleared, the son of the Demon King saw not an impaled and defeated Broly, but everyone's favorite purple cat having intercepted the attack.

"Lord Beerus?!" exclaimed Goku, lying on the disheveled floor.

"I figured I'd put a stop to this before anyone got too roughed up; after all, I do still need you," explained Beerus, before addressing Broly.

"Saiyan, your fight is with me now—leave the others," proclaimed the god of destruction, "or did you forget? _I'm_ the one who took away your dear father!"

Broly's ki doubled in an instant.

In an explosive wave of green energy, the son of Paragus rushed the god in a futile attempt to avenge his father. Every punch, every kick each failed to connect, driving Broly's rage—and his power—farther up exponentially. Though his power was higher than anything the Z warriors had ever sensed, he still held nothing to Lord Beerus.

One of Broly's brutal punches finally connected—not with Beerus, but the ground, shaking and breaking what little remained of the lookout. Luckily, Whis quickly gathered up Trunks, Goku, and the spectators, bringing them to a broken off chunk of the palace just large enough for them all. With a tap of his staff, he generated a barrier to shelter them from Broly's fury.

"The palace…" Mr. Popo quietly lamented, shooting a sad exchange of an equally disheartened Kami. The guardian of Earth sighed.

"Yes, this will take quite the cleanup effort," muttered Kami.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about that," chirped Whis, "I can repair the damage myself quite easily once they're through." The angel turned his head towards the enraged brute's fruitless attempts to battle the god of destruction.

"And it's looking like that will be very soon."

Broly, despite his ever-growing power, was losing more and more ground as he attacked Beerus in a blind range. He had lost what little skillfulness he had, damning himself to fight as a simple brawler. After an embarrassingly choreographed blow which Beerus dodged without a thought, the god stood himself casually on top of the saiyan's head.

He was getting bored of toying with the brute. Before Broly could even let out another boarish roar and retaliate, Beerus quickly hopped off of him and delivered a brutal but elegant chop to his neck. In an instant, Broly fell out of his transformation, and crumpled into a heap.

With his master victorious, Whis kept to his word and waved his staff. Immediately, floating chunks of marble began to reform and fly into place, until the entire lookout was restored.

Beerus walked leisurely towards the group, an unconscious Broly in hand. Tossing the saiyan to his attendant, the cat stretched with a smile and finally spoke.

"Well I must say, you lot certainly do provide your fair share of entertainment!" grinned Beerus.

The Z warriors eyed the god cautiously. After everything that had just happened, they were more scared and uncertain about this being's powers than ever.

"What's the matter?" he prodded snidely, cocking his head to the side. Surprisingly, the youngest among them was the bravest to speak up.

"We did just see you murder Broly's father, and then beat him down, Lord Beerus," Gohan said quietly.

Beerus chuckled.

"Murder?" the god mused, "of course not, my naive young friend—he isn't dead, but _erased_."

The group blinked in confusion.

"The soul Paragus has not traveled to the Other World, as is the procedure for mortals when they die," explained Whis as he laid Broly down to rest, "rather, his very existence—body, soul and all—has simply ceased."

The revelation sent a chill down everyone's spine. Whenever any of their comrades died, there had always been the consolation of peace in the Other World, and even resurrection, but erasure? Complete nonexistence? That was a level of existential dread they were not prepared for.

"But wait, what about the Dragon Balls?" asked Gohan, the gears already turning in his head, "could they undo an erasure?"

Whis put his finger to his chin. "That's an interesting thought," the angel pondered, "the Dragon Balls here on Earth, doubtful… however…"

"Could the ones on Namek?" Bulma chimed in.

Whis shook his head. "I've already said too much, in all honesty. The fact of the matter is, even if you could, crossing the work of a god would surely incur their wrath."

"I can personally confirm that," Beerus agreed, "besides, why would you want to bring back that bastard? Frankly, I did you a favor by getting rid of him."

"That's not fair Lord Beerus!" Goku interjected, "everyone deserves a second chance. Maybe he was a big jerk, but he could've changed for the better!"

"That line of thinking served you real well with Frieza," remarked Piccolo.

"Aw c'mon Piccolo, whose side are you on?!"

"The Namekian is right," chuckled Beerus, "besides, Broly going berserk gave you quite the exciting battle—isn't that all you saiyans care about?"

Goku simply pouted.

"I must say though," the god of destruction continued, "even if I barely even got to stretch my legs, Broly did serve as a nice appetizer. Now I'm even more excited for my main course."

"Well then, it seems we arrived just in time," called a voice from behind them.

Beerus turned to see Shin and Kibito, the former bearing a confident smile on his face. The two seemed to be standing in front of someone.

"I take it your mission was successful?" inquired Beerus.

"Of course, Lord Beerus," responded the Supreme Kai, before he and Kibito each stepped aside to reveal their companion.

The new figure was definitely saiyan, sporting a furry brown tail and Frieza Force armor. However, unlike any saiyans the Z warriors of Earth had met before, this one appeared female. Furthermore, her blue and yellow armor took the style of traditional female clothing, including a skirt-like extension. She also sported a halo which floated a few inches above her head, confirming that she was indeed from Other World. Finally, the saiyan woman displayed a shaggy mess of black hair, and soft, solemn eyes.

"I am honored to be of service, Lord Beerus, Angel Whis, Guardian of Earth," she spoke, bowing for the deities before her, "my name is Gine. It's a pleasure to meet you all."


End file.
